


fashion forward

by starkly



Series: you don't have to do this alone [17]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 13:19:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13435542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkly/pseuds/starkly
Summary: “She’s the one, Rhodes, she’s absolutely perfect.” Tony sighs wistfully, staring down in the magazine in his hands. Pepper Potts stares back at him from a full spread showcasing some nobody’s spring fashions, which are nowhere near as good as his spring lineup and thus why Pepper Potts should be modeling for him instead.





	fashion forward

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for NaNoWriMo 2017 and posted at [dailyironfamily](http://dailyironfamily.tumblr.com/post/167613968755/day-17-fashion-au) on tumblr. This fic was proofread before being posted here but is otherwise unchanged.
> 
> Day seventeen: fashion AU. Which I put on the list at the beginning of the month without even thinking about it and when I looked at it [the day I wrote this] I was like, I know absolutely nothing about fashion? But here you go. Tony/Rhodey established with future Pepper/Tony/Rhodey. Partially inspired by [this photo](https://78.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maki4gpeiq1qlhhx4o2_1280.jpg).

“She’s the one, Rhodes, she’s absolutely perfect.” Tony sighs wistfully, staring down in the magazine in his hands. Pepper Potts stares back at him from a full spread showcasing some nobody’s spring fashions, which are nowhere near as good as his spring lineup and thus why Pepper Potts should be modeling for him instead.

“So just ask her to model for you,” Rhodey replies, clearly some sort of mind reader. He turns a page in his own magazine, not even looking up at Tony.

Tony groans and shakes his head. “I can’t! She’s super picky about who she works with, she likes highlighting new designers.” Which is all well and good for newbies trying to break into the scene, but that’s definitely not Tony. There’s no way Pepper would want to work with him.

“You’ll never know if you don’t ask,” Rhodey points out, and while he has a point, Tony’s too buy wallowing in his own pessimism to consider it right now.

“Rhodeyyy,” he whines, flopping down on the couch and dropping his head in Rhodey’s lap. “Help me.”

“You’re crushing my magazine, man,” Rhodey says, frowning, and tries to tug it out from under Tony’s head.

Tony pouts up at him. “Please?”

Rhodey sighs, giving up on his magazine and carding his fingers through Tony’s hair. “Look, I think you’re an amazing designer, otherwise I wouldn’t shoot so much of your stuff.”

“Even though we’re sleeping together?” Tony asks, mildly offended. He’d hope his ass was worth a few photo shoots even if he was only mediocre.

“Even though,” Rhodey agrees, patting him on the cheek. Tony tries to bite Rhodey’s fingers and they get distracted for a moment as Rhodey fends him off. Tony gives up on the biting and just takes hold of Rhodey’s hand in his.

“As I was  _saying_ ,” Rhodey tries again, glaring at Tony, who just grins and presses a kiss to his knuckles. “Your work is great. Show her some of your ideas, ask if she’s interested. It’s simple.”

“It’s not simple. I can’t just toss my old inferior designs at her. I’d have to create an entirely new line of stuff for her.”

Rhodey raises an eyebrow at him. “You say that like you weren’t going to do it anyway.”

Tony huffs and rolls onto his side, burying his face in Rhodey’s sweatshirt, but his mind is already laying out patterns and themes and colors. Maybe Rhodey’s dumb plan might just work.

* * *

“Oh, Pepper! What a coincidence seeing you here,” Tony says brightly, managing not to wince at how incredibly forced that sounds. To be fair, it is a coincidence; he hadn’t known she was on this particular set when he walked in.

Pepper must’ve just finished a shoot, her face still in full makeup, but she had her hair pulled back and was wearing a silky robe over her underwear. Tony blinks and looks up―damn, she’s even taller in person.

“Can I help you?” she asks, curious but not annoyed, from the sound of it. That’s probably a good sign.

“I’m Tony Stark.” He holds out his hand and she gives it a shake.

“I’ve seen you around,” she says, drawing her hand back and crossing her arms over her chest. “Your designs are very…avant-garde.”

Tony grins. “So I’ve been told. But I was wondering―speaking of avant-garde―if you’d be interested in a show I’m putting together. Kind of a ‘fashion of the future’ sort of thing. And it’s for charity,” he adds quickly, hoping that might encourage her to consider.

Pepper purses her lips, and for a moment Tony thinks she’s just going to turn him down, but instead she says, “Why don’t you send me the details and I’ll take a look? I should have a card around here somewhere…”

She pats her hips as if checking for pockets, realizes she doesn’t have any, then looks around. Instead of a business card, she grabs a marker from a nearby table, then takes Tony’s hand and jots down a phone number on his palm.

“Thanks,” he says after a very long delay of just staring down at his hand, which had been in her hand, and now had her number on it. “I’ll, uh, yeah, I’ll text you all the info. Thanks!”

Pepper smiles at him, charmed, he’s totally sure, then someone calls her name and she excuses herself, walking back toward the set.

When Tony shows Rhodey his hand later that night, giddy with success, Rhodey just rolls his eyes and says, “What the hell is this, some ‘90s teen movie? Write it on a piece of paper and go wash your hands.”

* * *

Pepper agrees. He has no idea what convinces her, but he’s ecstatic. Now all he has to do is actually finish putting together the show. Rhodey helps, of course, bless his heart. Tony calls up a few of his usual models, lines up a caterer and venue, coordinates with the charity the show’s proceeds will go to, and everything falls into place.

He puts together some rough drafts of his designs based on the measurements she sends him, and Rhodey comes with him when they meet up for a quick photo session. Tony wants to see what she’ll think of his pieces, and Rhodey wants to make sure Tony doesn’t embarrass himself too much.

Tony keeps the backgrounds simple, wanting to focus on Pepper and the outfits. When she walks out in the first dress, a dark maroon color that stands out against the off-white set, Tony can practically feel his heart beat right out of his chest.

“How’s the fit?” he asks instead of saying what he wants to say, which is a bunch of variations of ‘Wowza.’

“Not bad,” she answers, moving across the set to where Rhodey directs her to stand. “The drawings had a glove included?”

“Yeah, it’s not done. I do all the metalwork nearer to the end,” Tony answers absently, standing behind Rhodey and looking through the screen on the camera.

Pepper looks over at him, surprised. “You do the metalwork yourself?”

“I do everything myself.”

“The papers you emailed had some helmets doodled on them, like armor? It’s interesting.”

Tony grins and asks, “You want me to make you a suit of armor for the catwalk?”

Pepper laughs. “It’d be an interesting change of pace.”

“Okay guys, let’s cut the chitchat,” Rhodey interrupts, going over to the camera. “Time to let the real master work.”

“The real master of bossing people around,” Tony huffs, but he steps out of the way and lets Rhodey work his magic. He makes notes of changes as Pepper goes through the different outfits he brought. Seeing them on her in person is even better than just imagining it. The elegance is breathtaking.

Pepper snorts softly and Tony looks up from his sketchbook, confused. Had someone been talking?

Rhodey, taking pity on him, says, “You said her elegance was breathtaking. Out loud.”

“Oh god,” Tony mutters, looking back at Pepper, but she just smiles and waves at him. “Why didn’t you stop me?”

“I’m working,” Rhodey says, keeping his voice down. “Besides, I think she finds you charming.”

“Really?”

“In a super dorky way.”

Tony beams, even when Pepper asks them if they’re done gossiping so they can get back to work.

* * *

Everything’s going so well, Tony can’t believe it. Three days from now everyone will see Pepper Potts wearing his designs and be totally blown away.

And then he gets the phone call.

“You did  _what_?” he asks, startled. “Are you okay?”

Across the table from him, Rhodey stops eating and mouths ‘What?’ at him. Tony shakes his head, still listening.

“Shit, no, don’t apologize,” he says at last into the phone. “We’ll find someone else. Yeah, it’s fine. You take care, okay?”

He hangs up and lets out a deep sigh. Rhodey waits, concerned.

“Pepper broke her leg,” Tony announces, head in his hands. “She can’t do the show, unless we want her to hobble down the runway on crutches, and obviously I wouldn’t make her do that.”

“Shit, Tones, I’m sorry.” Rhodey reaches over and puts a hand on Tony’s arm. “Is she okay? Aside from the leg thing.”

“Yeah, that was the worst of it.” He sighs, putting his head down on the table, no longer having any appetite for dinner. “This sucks.”

“Hey, the show’ll still be great,” Rhodey reassures him, gently squeezing his arm. “Your new collection is amazing.”

Tony looks up, disappointment clear on his face. “I know, but I made it for Pepper.”

“So make her something else. I bet she’ll love it anyway.”

Tony takes Rhodey’s hand in his, giving it an affectionate squeeze. “Thanks, honey. And thanks for all your help.”

“Of course,” Rhodey says with a nod, and the two return to their dinner, hands still clasped in the middle of the table.

* * *

They get one of their regulars to fill in for Pepper at the show, but while the overall effect is good, it’s just not the same. Tony sighs into his champagne glass for the hundredth time that night, and Rhodey tells him to stop looking so gloomy at his own show.

“I know, I know,” Tony grumbles. “It’s just that Pepper―is here?”

He sees the tall redhead approach from across the room, slightly hindered by crutches and a cast. Rhodey helps her into a chair at their table, and Tony asks,

“What are you doing here?”

“What, just because I broke my leg I’m not invited anymore?”

“No, of course not,” Tony says hastily, but she just laughs and waves away his attempted apology.

“I wanted to see the show. I really do like your designs, Tony. And I was hoping…” She glances between him and Rhodey, suddenly looking embarrassed. “I was hoping I could model something else for you instead? Once my cast is off, of course.”

“Wait, you  _want_  to model for us?” he asks, a little stunned. “But you never work with big-time designers.”

Pepper blushes, the tips of her ears turning red. “Not usually. But you two are a lot of fun, and your work is really interesting.”

Tony looks at Rhodey, flabbergasted. He just shrugs and says, “Fine with me. She’s really easy to shoot.”

“We’d love to,” Tony tells her without hesitation once he has the okay from Rhodey. “You know what, we might not even have to wait for the cast to come off, I’m already thinking of some designs we could incorporate―”

“Slow down there, tiger,” Rhodey says, patting him on the hand. “Enjoy your current show before jumping ahead.”

“That’s the theme tonight, isn’t it?” Pepper says with a little smile, looking at Tony. “Fashion of the future.”

“That’s the spirit!” he cheers, raising his glass in a toast. Tony sure is looking forward to what the future has in store for them.


End file.
